Stanley Cup riots: Vancouver police set to charge 60 people with 160 offences

By Neal Hall

VANCOUVER — Vancouver police Chief Jim Chu announced Monday the first batch of recommendations to the Crown that 60 people face 163 charges arising from the June 15 Stanley Cup riot in downtown Vancouver.

Among the charges being considered by Crown are aggravated assault, participating in a riot, break and enter and arson.

“The statistics are staggering and continue to grow,” Chu said at a news conference.

“This is just the beginning as we expect to announce more . . . in the weeks and months ahead.”

Police expect that by the time they are finished, charges will be recommended against 700 people.

Chu said authorities have recorded 15,000 criminal acts, which have been tagged in the police computer database.

The chief said it is the largest investigation in Vancouver police history and investigators have taken their time to get it right.

The recommended charges stem from the riot that ensued after the Vancouver Canucks lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup to the Boston Bruins. Rioters torched vehicles, including police cars, smashed windows and looted stores, causing millions in damage.

Police have repeatedy said investigators wanted to do a thorough review of hundreds of photos and thousands of hours of video shot by citizens on cellphones and cameras before recommending charges.

Out of the first 60 suspects, 21 are from suburban Surrey. Another dozen live in Vancouver, nine are from Maple Ridge, two are from Abbotsford and two live in Delta. Other suspects are from Victoria, Coquitlam, Courtenay, Langley, New Westminster, North Vancouver, Port Coquitlam, Westbank and Seattle, Washington.

They include 50 men and 10 women ranging in age from 16 to 52. One individual faces 10 charges.

Crown spokesman Neil MacKenzie said Monday he doesn’t know how long it will take to go through the reports and for the Crown to approve charges.

He said some reports contain 500 pages and most include video and photographic evidence. But he expects some cases to be in court by the end of November.

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So far, police have posted 125 photos of suspects on the VPD riot investigation website, of whom 49 have been identified.

Chu took pains to defend the pace of police investigation.

“The Integrated Riot Investigation Team made up of eight police agencies has done an incredible job handling the largest investigation in our city’s history. It’s been daunting, time-consuming and exhaustive. But we knew it would be,”he said in a statement.

“We decided then that we owed it to the victims of this crime and the outraged people of our community to do the right thing . . . we believe the community supports the independence of the police and our professional judgment to conduct thorough investigations, not cut corners in order to satisfy the vocal criticisms of a few.”